The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1887-10-23
TALKING BY SIGNS.
SOME EXPERIENCES OF BicYCLiST
THOMAS STEVENS.
4 Country Where Nod Of the Head
Means NO" and a shake "Nes'..Iow
Various Peoples Asked Him To Ride
His Nachine-Chinese signs.
Special Correspondence


NEW YORK. oct. when left New
York 10 journey around the world on a
| bicycle / didn't know n dozen words Of
any language but English. Unaccustomed
as was at that time 10 the graphic Ian
/ guagc Of gesture and pantomime, found
| myself as helpless as the babes in the
wood the first night | spent in France.
/ Necessity Is faithful tutor, however, and
/ I soon grew proficient in the art Of max
ing myself understood by signs BY the
/ time finished up my tour az Yokohama /
/ had gesticulated my eyeatful way through
sixteen different countries. the language
OF which ! knew absolutely nothing Of
when entered them and precious little
when ] came out.
All through civilized European cOun-
tries one can manase 20 make himself UNI
derst0od pretty easily, and the people are
reasonably intelligent in reply. Moreover,
the sign language seems to come more
natural TO many continental people than il
does among ourselves They are more
given to gesticuIating among themselves
when they talk than we are. As one APP
proachc~ the more harbarous countries of
The east the natives are found expressing
themselves in stranger ways, and one be
gins % realize that DE is among alien
races I'm crossing Europe from London
10 ConstautnOple ] remember ROumela
as the country where ] suddenly found
myself one day among people who shook
their heads when they meant eyes. and
nodded when they meant 'no. only i'm
the charming valley Of the Martha. after
q IltII
does thi, unique custom seem t0 prevail.
for after leaving 70 40 Adranople ] en-
couutcrcd il no more IL is easy enough
~ imagine the bewildcrmcut caused at
first by This sudden and unexpected re-
versa of what one had been accus-
toned 10 all his life The first time
] happened TO fail m with this
popularity WAS at place called Tartar
Bazardiik. where ! attempted 90 buy some
pears of q fruit yender on the street.
When minated my wish 10 sample his
wares the man sOlemnly shook his head
Wondering somewhat az his supposed un-
Willingness 90 sell, passed on. The man
called me back. held up a big. fine pear
and shook his head vigorously I'm token. as
] still thought. that he didn't want 10 sell
them soon ] met another maiyahiee and
proposed buying pears of him He also
set down his basket and INDUCED IN the
pantomime which, 20 me, had always i'm
dicated a negative The repetition opened
nv ewes. and during the process of max
Ing change ! discovered that a negative
was furthermore 20 be interpreted by a
nod ON the road beyond tested the
matter stll further by pointing 10 the
gldcd minaret. of philipopolis. visible i'm
the distance ahead. and asking native
traveller If that was Philipop0Iis The
R0umelan pointed in the same direction
did. and shook his head boy way Of con
hrmaton
one soon becomes accustomed 10 this
pccuiiMty IN others. bat to acquire the
sane habit ones self is matter Of some
little time and perseverance ! was only
I'm the Martha valley two or three days.
and remember sundry mdicrous incidents
~ the result of mutual apprehension I.
between myself and the natives. Some
times. when in their very natural ign0 F.
rance of my capabilities ON the bicycle.
they would request me tO ride i'm some inn .
possible place. ! would shake my head in
token of disapprovaI. and in explanation .
of the hmpracticablity of their request
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~ .hin hinr. rfd. rdn bv -fr,dJliny
he .u,ilfi. and index FINGERS off tho RIGHT
,ond over fl,e.i. lef. hand FINGERS or wrist
mis- -inni. SIGN convey. n. the Turkish
mind Obj. figure off "a man b,.fril.ng thc
.,dJl, of g.. horse or fprnvca-o q, hfrvcle
~. si.,r.f. ,nonar ina Turkey fhe fn0ers
.orc Lun,hel NM TOGETHER I'm Armenia
and tbe eastern terrifor, of Asiatic Turkey
the thumb and forefneer are made to
represent disk e..acoin. Toask you
whether YOU are thirsty and want "a drink
81 water She Turk goes through the pan
tomime 81 dipping water from "a brook i'm
to 'i bis mouth aaeqaain'ed With X Knife
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